Starbucks is running a promotion whereby customers can submit their thoughts for inclusion on Starbucks cups, as part of an effort by Starbucks to “to promote open, respectful conversation among a wide variety of individuals,” according to their spokesperson.
complaints
Never Try To Game The Float. Ever.
By 5.11.07
Used to be with check that you could count on there being at least 3 days between someone cashing your check and the charge being run on your account. The delay is called “float” and writing a check before you have the money but think you’re going to deposit enough is called “gaming the float.”
A Double Dose Of Bed Bug Related Hotel Complaints
By 5.11.07
We’d been hearing that the bed bug epidemic has hit hotels, but we didn’t really believe it. Then we got 2 hotel bed bug complaints in 48 hours. The first concerns the Hilton on Kearny Street in San Francisco. Oddly enough, the second also concerns the great state of California, but a different hotel. The Best Western Ocean View in Santa Monica. But first things first.
Canon Treats Digital Rebel XT Owner Like Pawnshop Scavenger
By 5.11.07
Consumerist alum Joel Johnson has a beef with Canon and their decision to treat him, the proud purchaser of Canon Digital Rebel XT, like he found the camera in a dumpster.
Geek Squad Fixed My iPod By Sending Me A Broken One
By 5.7.07
Charlie gave her 4th gen iPod to Geek Squad for warranty repair. They promised her a new iPod in return. Instead, she received an iPod with a sad face screen. When she shook it, its hard drive rattled around. There was a ding in the side. The back of the iPod was buffed shiny, so much so you couldn’t hardly see the iPod logo. When she took it back to the store, she says they were kinda obnoxious to her. The iPod is sent away again, but her hopes are not high.
TWC Charges $30 To Drop Off A HDTV Box At Your House… Or You Could Get It Yourself
By 5.7.07
Brandon says he just got and HDTV and called TWC to see about swapping his digital cable receiver for an HDTV receiver. TWC said no problem but it would be a $30 “carrying charge,” which amounted to basically a TWC worker throwing an HDTV receiver in the van and driving a few miles to drop it off at Brandon’s house.
Verizon Keeps Making Up Contract law To Prevent Customers From Cancelling Without Penalty
By 5.7.07
Michael tried to cancel Verizon without early termination fee because they raised the basic text messaging rate from .10-.15 dollars. Two customer service reps approved the disconnect without fee, but then it got rejected by the disconnect department. Their reason was that 1) 60 days had passed since the notice of the change was sent out and 2) Since Michael hadn’t used “enough” of the text messages, the change wasn’t materially adverse.
Why Is Crunch Gym Forcing Spiderman 3 "Marketing Experiences" On Their Spinning Classes?
By 5.4.07
Yesterday we followed up on reader’s bad experience at Crunch Gym by calling 2 of their locations, the corporate office and interviewing Angie, our reader.
Reach Time Warner Cable Executive Customer Service Redux
By 5.4.07
UPDATE 8/28/07: Barry Rosenblum’s direct line: 212-598-7389
AT&T DSL Downgrades Email, That You Pay For, To Include Ads
By 5.4.07
AT&T DSL subscribers who use their ISP email will now have the pleasure of seeing ads in their email service. That they pay for. Did we say that already?
Bank Of America Gets Verfication Data Wrong, Locks Customer's Account, Hangs Up On Him, Several Times
By 5.3.07
According to this reader complaint, to amass the personal information Bank of America uses to “verify your identity,” they employ a company that that trolls public records for your data. They look for things like employer, student loans held, what hotel you stayed in last year, etc.
Hapless Crunch Gym Aerobics Class Trapped In Spiderman 3 Marketing Web
By 5.3.07
…I had a sickening experience at Crunch Gym yesterday.
Sprint Makes A Minister's Wife Cry
By 5.2.07
The life of a Consumerist editor can be a roller coaster ride of emotion. One minute you’re laughing at Delta airlines uglyass new planes, the next you’re reading a letter from a minister who says Sprint made his wife cry.
Bank Midwest Let Someone Pilfer Our Safe Deposit Box For $92,000
By 5.2.07
Ken and Nina say that that $92,000 was stolen from their safe deposit box after Bank Midwest allowed someone else to access it.
Filing A Good Complaint Roundup
By 5.1.07
“A letter of complaint is an opportunity to arm someone who may be unfamiliar with your problem with the fact necessary to investigate.”
Helio Call Centers Staffed By Retards
By 5.1.07
Helio is an exciting new cellphone company! We heard about them some months ago when they just got started and were launching 2-page spreads in major magazines and taking out ads on prominent websites, except then they decided to only pay for the magazine ads and told the websites to go screw themselves. This general air of assclowns spinning asshats on sticks at the asscircus trickles down all the way to their call centers, which, based on reader Dave’s complaint, has their head totally up their ass. Which must hurt because it’s also got a spinning asshat on it (on a stick, no less) but we digress.
7 Overdrafts Refunded After Reader Writes Bank of America CEO
By 4.30.07
Yet another reader confirms that if Bank of America is hitting you with overdraft fee after overdraft fee, you can get them waived by writing a complaint letter to CEO Kenneth D. Lewis.
Feeling Cingular
By 4.30.07
Justin Callaway’s Cingular cellphone sent radio interference that destroyed one of his prized speakers, so he made an awesome music video about it.
